Winds messing up Gulf fishing but helping the back bays
Capt. Rob Modys
June 6, 2012
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
The persistent west winds have made Gulf fishing an on again, off again event that has also dampened the tarpon bite. But it's made for fantastic redfish, snook and trout fishing in the backcountry of Estero Bay.
The redfish bite in Estero Bay has been off the chain. My anglers are getting ten to twenty reds on each trip and most are in the slot with some trophies. They are biting best from about mid to high tide along the wind blown mangrove shore lines. There's quite a bit of loose grass on the bottom so the cork, jig, live shrimp combo is working best. I've also been using cut ladyfish and cut threadfin herrings. Snook are also banging the baits in the same area.
Trout are on the flats in about three to four feet of water but they are very concentrated. We've been setting up drifts to find them and once located, anchoring and working the area throughly. Both live bait and artificials are producing fish in the 15 to 18 inch range.
We've had a very unusual flounder bite starting early this year. It's continued. Under normal circumstances we may hook 1 during a week of fishing but on recent trips we've been getting 2 to 3. Kind of strange but tasty!
When we could get in the Gulf, during a break in the winds, the sharks were everywhere and hungry. Anchor up in about 14 feet of water, start chumming with cut baits, ladyfish or jacks and it doesn't take long for the first hookup. Blacktips, hammerheads, lemons, spinners, duskies, sharpnose and nurses are all in the mix.
Tarpon are moving in closer to the beaches but again, the weather and winds have been a problem. I've only been able to run a couple of trips for them over the last week but both were successful. Using cut catfish on the bottom and live threadfin herrings on top, we managed to hook 5 and land a couple close to the 150 pound mark.
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